Organizers for Tokyo Games considering using artificial snow to fight heat

The organizing committee for the Tokyo Games is considering using artificial snow to ease the expected summer heat during the events, officials said Wednesday.

The committee will test the cooling effects of artificial snow sprayed onto uncovered seats at the Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo’s Koto Ward on Sept. 13, when a canoe sprint test event will be held.

In the test, one ton of machine-made snow will be sprayed onto the seats in total, split into two loads, in order to measure changes in the wet bulb globe temperature, which is a way of measuring environmental conditions including humidity and temperature.

Committee officials at the event will give feedback on the effectiveness of the measure. According to the committee, similar measures against the summer heat have been used at events such as music festivals.

“We’ll consider every option with any promise of success. If proven effective, they will be utilized,” an official said.